The present invention relates generally to the modification of visual information. More particularly, the present invention relates to techniques for modifying visual information, presented in conjunction with auditory information, to enhance visual processing of a target object and learning to associate visual information presented with auditory information and vise versa for a human subject.
Visual processing of information plays an important role in human functioning. One particular example of the importance of visual processing is written speech. Recent studies have shown that specific language impaired and reading impaired (dyslexic) individuals have difficulty in recognizing and distinguishing written speech. These difficulties in processing typically result in a delayed and usually defective development of reading skills. In particular, for children with these reading and often-associated aural deficits, reading, speech reception and speech production instruction may continue throughout elementary and secondary schooling if the resources are available. The impairment can often lead to a truncation in education and may result in compromising the potential of the individual.
Studies have shown that these problems in reading and speech processing may be due to the inability of the receptive and cognitive powers of the brain to correctly identify the rapidly changing components of the visual and auditory input. By way of example, an individual may be unable to generate a reliable representation of the phonetic elements of the language in their brain. The result is that the individual has difficulty in correctly identifying the unique components of strings of written speech. In addition, the individual may have limited abilities in cognitively associating aural speech with the brain""s poor representation of written speech.
To improve reading and speech processing abilities, new forms of treatment have become available. By way of example, computer-implemented reading training programs have become available to help children having an inability in the receptive and cognitive powers of the brain to correctly identify the rapidly changing components of the visual and auditory input. The computer-implemented training programs present orthographic representation (the symbolic representation of the sounds of language) along with matching auditory presentation at progressive levels of difficulty to strengthen reading, speech reception and speech production abilities. While being designed to elicit improvements in these areas, the programs have not been designed to be sensitive to visual processing, which may compromise effectiveness of the programs.
The visual processing system is responsible for reducing an excessive amount of information from the visual field to a level suitable for processing the relevant information by the brain. Four common information reduction mechanisms used in the visual processing system include shape/object detection, movement detection, edge detection and foreground/background separation. By way of example, when reading an orthographic representation, the visual processing system may focus on a particular area of the visual field (the foreground). More specifically, the orthographic representation may be a word, the foreground may be the page and the background everything in the visual field outside the foreground. Thus, the foreground/background separation allows relatively increased neuronal activity for an object in the foreground.
In the past, to bring attention to a particular orthographic representation in synchrony with simultaneous auditory presentation, a variety of methods have been implemented. FIG. 1A illustrates one conventional method of bringing attention to an orthographic representation 102 using a bounding box 104. The bounding box 104 is typically lit up in addition to changing (e.g., coloring) an area 106 within the edges of the bounding box 104. With respect to visual processing of the orthographic representation 102, the bounding box 104 is inefficient since it introduces a new visual object (the box) and information (the edges and corners of the box) unrelated to visual processing of the orthographic representation 102. Thus, the bounding box 104 is a distraction and represents unnecessary additional information to be processed. In addition, the nervous system may undesirably respond to the visual information of the bounding box 104 more than to the orthographic representation 102. As a result, the bounding box 104 is suitable for drawing attention to a particular portion of the visual field, but it is not favorable to facilitating the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102.
FIG. 1B illustrates another conventional method of bringing attention to the orthographic representation 102 using a bouncing ball 110. While sufficient in channeling attention to the general vacinity of the orthographic representation 102, the bouncing ball 110 introduces another visual stimulus to be processed. Again, the bouncing ball 110 results in neural stimulation unrelated to the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102 and thus is not suitable for facilitating the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102. In addition, as visual processing of movement carries significant processing load and may take priority over the processing of static information, this further compromises the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102.
While these methods have been suitable in drawing attention towards a particular area of the visual field, they have not been conducive to the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102. By way of example, from a learning perspective, as the individual may be required to associate the sound of the word with the orthographic representation of the word, these distractions may detract from the proper correlation and learning.
In addition to the active methods added to bring attention to the orthographic representation 102, there may be additional visual objects which detract from the visual processing of the target object. FIG. 1A also includes a picture 108 which is unrelated to the visual processing of the orthographic representation 102. Undesirably, the picture 108 may act as a visual processing distraction which may further compromise visual processing of the orthographic representation 102.
In view of the foregoing, improved techniques for modifying visual information to enhance visual processing for a human subject would be desirable.
The present invention relates to enhancing the visual processing of orthographic representations presented in conjunction with auditory information. In a preferred embodiment, the orthographic representations are words presented on a computer screen in conjunction with the auditory presentation of the words. Visual processing is enhanced by modifying each word on the screen as it is auditorally presented. This enhancement is achieved by increasing the contrast of the word relative to the background against which the words are presented without moving the edge locations of the letters of the word and without introducing any new edges. By modifying the orthographic representations or other visual information synchronously with their auditory presentation in this way, the attention of the viewer/listener is brought to the word without introducing other unwanted visual stimulation that could distract attention from the word. It is believed that this results in optimized visual processing.
The invention is also generally directed to additional techniques for enhancing visual processing or salience of orthographic representations or other visual information presented in conjunction with auditory information. These include removing potentially distracting extraneous visual information, and making other changes to the orthographic representations of auditorally presented information to enhance visual processing. The techniques of the present invention have a wide range of applications in learning and training functions.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a computer-implemented method for presenting visual information upon a visual field for a human subject in conjunction with the presentation of auditory information. The method includes synchronously presenting the auditory information to be processed by the human subject. The method also includes presenting the visual information corresponding to the auditory information to be processed by the human subject, wherein the visual information is adapted to substantially facilitate visual processing of the visual information.
The invention relates, in another aspect, to a computer-implemented method for presenting visual information upon a visual field for a human subject in conjunction with the presentation of auditory information. The method includes presenting the auditory information to be processed by the human subject. The method also includes presenting the visual information corresponding to the auditory information to be processed by the human subject, wherein the visual information is modified to substantially improve the salience of the neuronal representation associated with the visual information.
The invention relates, in yet another aspect, to a computer readable medium including instructions for presenting an orthographic representation upon a computer screen for a human subject in conjunction with the presentation of auditory information related to the orthographic representation. The computer readable medium includes instructions for presenting the auditory information to be processed by the human subject. The computer readable medium also includes instructions for presenting the orthographic representation corresponding to the auditory information to be processed by the human subject. The method further includes modifying the orthographic representation to substantially improve the salience of the neuronal representation associated with the orthographic representation.
The invention relates, in a further aspect, to a computer-implemented method for delivering computer readable instructions for presenting visual information upon a visual field for a human subject in conjunction with the presentation of auditory information. The method includes transmitting, over a signal transmission medium, signals representative of instructions for presenting the auditory information to be processed by the human subject. The method also includes transmitting, over a signal transmission medium, signals representative of instructions for presenting the visual information corresponding to the auditory information to be processed by the human subject, wherein the visual information is adapted to substantially facilitate visual processing of the visual information.